


Zuko's Secret - The Servent

by TheTurtleduckPond



Series: Zuko's Secret [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mild depictions of blood, Ozai gets killed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:02:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleduckPond/pseuds/TheTurtleduckPond
Summary: A side view to Zuko's Secret from the eyes of the servant that helped him.
Series: Zuko's Secret [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066118
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Zuko's Secret - The Servent

**Author's Note:**

> I will work on Zuko's Secret as soon as I can.

Niko might not have worked in the palace for long, but even she knew that what had just happened had shaken the everyone inside. The Fire Lord being killed wasn’t something that just… _happened_. Even the children were strong enough firebenders and there were enough guards that no one should be able to get that close and leave no sign of a struggle.

It was impossible.

Niko had never tried so hard to seem small, trying to scurry along and do her work. She was too tall to actually be small, but she was trying her best.

She only had a few things left to do and one of them was going and cleaning the children’s rooms. She just had to go and do that and then she was done and could go home. It was simple.

Walking into Princess Azula’s room and tidying up was quick, something that barely took any time at all since she’d hardly been in her rooms at all since she woke up. She finished and left, heading straight for Prince Zuko’s rooms.

She walked in, seeing that it was still mostly in order.

She pushed her hair back, ignoring some of the shorter brown strands that stuck to her face and tying it back while she fixed the bed. She looked around, frowning as she found one of his drawers cracked open. She pulled it open further, blinking and carefully refolding the ruffled clothes.

She looked around slowly, wondering if anything else was out of place. His dresser was mostly fine otherwise, except for the empty scabbard for his knife. He must have had it open when he was taken to the throne room with the others.

She paused, carefully walking and peeking behind the objects in the room until she found a bundle of clothes stuffed behind a statue.

For a moment, Niko just reached for them and picked them up to stare at the fabric in confusion.

Barely a moment passed before something slipped from the clothes and hit the floor with a sharp sound.

She looked around quickly, seeing no one else and reached down to pick up… his knife?

She blinked at it, before she looked at the knife, clothing, and a few rags all stained with blood.

Her breath caught, a yell on her lips when she cut it off. She looked at the knife again, eyes focused on the dried blood. She took a moment, hands shaking before she wrapped them all up together, hoping no one would be able to see the bloodstains on the dark red fabric.

She walked out, moving quickly. Like she couldn’t wait to leave. She moved in the direction of the laundry before she cut off and grabbed her bag, stuffing the bundle into it before leaving, smiling tensely at the guard, who muttered for her to be careful.

She headed home, fingers gripping the bag and the evidence she was hiding.

When she closed her door she collapsed. She looked at her bag, mouth open in disbelief of what she’d just done. She’d just taken the evidence of the Fire Lord’s death and… left. She had barely even considered screaming out before she took it all and left like it was any other day.

She looked down, hands shaking as she took out the bundle and opened it to pick up the knife again.

She should call to the guards, tell them what she found. Wait for the next day and hide it back in the prince’s rooms and then go and tell the guards. She should tell the world that the prince had killed his father.

Instead, Niko got up, starting to gather everything she’d need. Her spark rocks were first. Niko wasn’t a bender, but fire was as good as anything else for what she was doing.

Niko took everything out, into the abandoned area behind where she lived. She went back in grabbing a bucket, soap, and a cloth. She grabbed the knife and went back out to start a fire and sat down with the clothes and knife. She started to clean the knife, leaving no trace of blood as she carefully made sure that nothing was left behind. Partway through she tossed the clothes and rags into the flames.

She checked the blade for nicks or remaining blood before drying it and looking at the fire. The prince’s clothes were burning with the rags, smoke billowing up.

Any evidence of what she’d seen was now burning to nothing in front of her eyes.

Surprisingly, Niko felt no distress at the thought.

Prince Zuko was a kind child. That was something that the palace staff had always known. He wasn’t the type to be cruel or do something excessive without reason.

Niko could remember the way the prince had been acting just days prior. How he’d been hovering over Azula with wide, worried eyes and how he’d been even quieter. He’d looked so upset.

She knew that the Fire Lord wasn’t a kind man and that he was far from kind to his son, but she also knew that wouldn’t be enough to push Zuko to what he’d done.

She remembered the quiet crying she’d heard in the garden as well. How the prince had appeared and shooed everyone away.

She hadn’t seen the princess and had seen no sign of the prince himself crying.

She closed her eyes, speaking quietly, “No one will ever know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niko went back to work the same day, smiling at the guard. She walked in and headed straight to the prince’s rooms. She had the knife stashed in her bag and walked in, glancing around.

He wasn’t in the room, so she walked over and slipped the knife back where it belonged and set it down.

When the door opened suddenly she turned, amber meeting wide gold.

She stared at the prince and then smiled softly, “I found your knife, your highness. I just came to put it back where it belonged. I’m sorry if you were missing it.”

Niko bowed, waiting for a response. Most people in his position would have killed her for what she’d seen. What she’d just admitted that she knew.

“Thank you, Niko,” Instead, her prince’s voice was soft, walking over to her and peeking up at her face, “I’ll keep a better eye on my things. Do you know where the clothes I was wearing yesterday went by any chance?”

She was surprised he knew her name, but answered, “They were torn up, I disposed of them myself your highness, though I regret to say I did it without permission.”

She didn’t say she’d keep his secret. She had no intention of so much as acting as if there was one to keep.

“I understand, you can go back to work,” He said, stepping out of her way.

She walked out of the room, but paused at the door and looked back at him. There was no regret in his eyes. He didn’t look upset at all in that moment, baring the truth.

She knew that the prince was well known for being a bad liar, but she wondered for a moment if that was true at all.

“Goodbye Prince Zuko,” She said, bowing again before she left.

Niko wondered if she’d regret her actions one day. If she’d suddenly wake up and realize that she’d done something horrible. Somehow, she doubted it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If when Prince Iroh returned and took the throne she greeted him without so much as a whisper of knowing who his brother’s killer was, she felt only a twinge of guilt for lying to her Lord, but she felt no guilt in defending her prince.

She said nothing even as she watched Prince Zuko blatantly lie to his uncle about knowing what happened that night.

The palace had always had its secrets, but this secret would do best to die with as few people knowing as possible. So Niko would never speak of that night again, if only to dissuade questions she might not be able to answer.

Or perhaps worse… to dissuade the ones that she _could_.


End file.
